Neil deGrasse Tyson could never be President - he's too honest and too smart. Probably wouldn't want to be President either. And that's even before pointing out that he's one of those "eeevilll atheists".... That would never fly in this country today, unfortunately.

I have never liked the guy much. Maybe it's the afro widows peak pompadour thing on his head. Anyway, if we're to have a physicist president, why not one who is very bright, works for NASA, has a talent for explaining science to The Great Unwashed, and looks like Amy Mainzer?:

I have had the pleasure of meeting Dr. deGrasse Tyson twice (you know, meet and greet, shake hands, take picture, move on). He spoke at two conferences of which I was a part (as both a speaker and a part of the content team). He is, by far, my most favorite astrophysicist since Carl Sagan passed away.

I also think Dr. deGrasse Tyson is exceptional at explaining physics, astrophysics, mathematics, and the cosmos to the "unwashed masses" as well. Both times I've seen him speak in person, and every time I've ever seen him in the media, he has been exceptional - engaging, clear of thought, and enthusiastic.

As for declaring himself an atheist - I've never heard him say he was, but I've never heard him say he wasn't - and I've seen him most adamantly argue against the belief in any deity on multiple occasions, and very publicly. So, I'm not sure if he's actually used the label, but he is most definitely an atheist by word and deed.

For some reason my second video doesn't seem to want to load. It is rather long, but is well worth it. Here's the url to the page. It is a talk at the Salk Institute at the Beyond Belief symposium in 2006.